He adds that Singaporean investors prefer “good, hard figures” and trade as if they are in a bear market. Rather than getting swept up in compelling stories, Singaporeans are drawn to companies with cash flows. “There is no right or wrong to it,” he says.
In the world of investing, stories sell. In Singapore, however, investors are more pragmatic, observes PhillipCapital’s head of research, Paul Chew, who has spent more than 20 years in the industry and eight years with the brokerage.
”For [Singaporean investors], it’s all about earnings. Nobody wants to hear some blue-sky dream-state opportunity, unlike in the US,” he says, referencing how American investors are often drawn to narratives involving Tesla, robotics or robo taxis of the future.
